For its owner, the cell phone or other such mobile device is an indispensable lifeline at times of crisis, reuniting loved ones separated by unforeseen events at the touch of a button. But for members of the emergency services who make life-and-death decisions, the mobile phone address book poses a conundrum: Which of the numbers stored in their electronic address book should they call to reach a casualty's next of kin?
According to members of the emergency services, paramedics, police and firefighters often waste valuable time trying to figure out which name in a mobile phone to call when disaster strikes. They must look through wallets, or scroll through mobile address books for clues. Many people identify their spouse by name in their mobile device, making them indistinguishable from other entries. Sometimes, dialing the number for ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’ might not be appropriate, particularly if they are elderly, or suffer from ill health.
Mobile phone users are being urged by various emergency service organizations to put the acronym ICE (“in case of emergency”) as an entry in their address book. This entry then lists a name and contact telephone number that they would like an attending emergency service worker to contact as in the event of an emergency such as a car accident. A typical entry might read “ICE—Dad (555) 555-5555” or “ICE—Alison (666) 666-6666.” These entries would give paramedics a way of getting hold of the appropriate person within a few seconds.
However, even though emergency service providers may wish to contact a relative or friend in the case of an emergency, their primary goal is not arranging for communications with the victim, but rather, to take care of all the minimum basic disaster relief, such as getting the patient to the hospital, etc. . . . The one call to the ICE listing in the address book is only to let at least one person know of the event, and possibly for getting instructions for medical care of an unconscious patient.